Irrevocable Fallacy of the Gods
by BecauseImAMermaid
Summary: AU Modern day: Supernatural bounty hunter Rosette Christopher defends the streets against malevolent forces with her demon partner. One simple Warlock hardly seemed all that much trouble... Oh how wrong she was, and her underestimation would cost her dearly.
1. Chapter 1

**The Holy Order of Magdalene **

**Demon Exterminators and Exorcist****s **

The metal plaque was old and worn, having faced years of wind and rain. She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her black jacket as she gazed up at the towering church, its gothic structure looking very much out-of-place surrounded by the sleek skyscrapers. She paid no mind the crowds of people hurry past her this way and that, talking animatedly on cellphones and flagging down cabs. She let out a deep sigh, the sound of Manhattan filling her ears.

_'I can't believe they wouldn't let me bring him... He's my partner for Christ sake!'_

When they told her over the phone to come alone, she was outraged. The only thing stopping her from unleashing her fury was his gentle hand on her shoulder and calm expression, silently asking her to not make it a big deal.

_'And he's supposed to be this big bad demon...' _She thought to herself, scoffing aloud. _'He's more benevolent than Mother Theresa. Really, the discrimination these people have is absurd.'_

Demons were just another one of the many supernatural beings kicking around, just like the vampires, faeries, mermaids, elves, witches, ghosts... the list goes on and on. But the demons had predated humans for centuries, and had preferred to keep to their own... that is, until a rebellious demon crossed portals and attempted to take control of Earth. The aftereffects were devastating, and sparked an entire movement of demons seeking entrance to the mortal realm. Possession was the easiest method for the weaker demons, called legions, to use to force their way through worlds. Once on Earth, the legions left instructions for opening portals and summoning the higher-ranking demons.

Humans began associating demons with evil and spinning them into their religions, passing down myths of their acts of terror on humanity. Organizations rose and fell over the years to prevent the human world from being completely overrun and defend the people. The Order of Magdalene was one of the oldest in the world, built on the foundations of a religious backbone with a long-standing history of demon "exorcising" and a worldwide network of resources and locations. It's New York site was both the American headquarters and the place where Rosette Christopher lived for the majority of her adolescence.

After the death of her parents, nearly nine years ago, the good people of Magdalene opened their doors and adopted both her and her younger brother. Now at the ripe old age of 20, standing outside what used to be her home, the blonde contemplated her life choices that led her to this point.

The Order had recognized how _special_ the siblings were upon first meeting them, originally believing them to be apostles or even angelic. Within the first year of Rosette's adoption to the religious institution it became painfully clear that she was by no means _angelic_. Her brother, Joshua, was really what drew attention. He had the unique ability to heal wounds, and on occasion had materialized large glowing wings. She possessed none of these feature, instead having what The Order called "a divine essence and aura" and that she had an "incredible amount of life". She had no idea what that meant, but ironically this "overabundance" was what the sister's became most wary about when dealing with her. To the disappointment of The Order, she never truly opened herself up to Catholicism; no matter how many times the bible was studied or how often it was drilled into her head the dark and twisted nature of demons. It just never felt right to her, to have such a black and white perspective of things. Joshua however, was completely taken with it; a true devote follower through and through. Rosette felt that it was because of his good standing with The Order that she was given so many leniences. If she were anyone else, and not related to what they considered a holy messenger, she would have been kicked out a long time ago.

It was only until she was 13 and met _him _that the pieces of her life truly fit together. _He _was the one who encouraged her to begin her exorcism training, even though her faith had been painfully lacked.

_"Think about it Rosette... where else will you get free, elite combat training? Just because you don't follow their faith, doesn't mean that you can't use their resources..."_

And he had been right. It was one of the best decisions she ever made, to stay and go through exorcist training. She could always count on him to be her voice of reason cause with her hot-head, she certainly needed one. His thoughtful, gentle disposition complemented her brash and stubborn nature... making them the perfect team together.

Their meeting had been one of utmost chance. She had slipped out past the nuns to scale the tall black gates surrounding the convent, and escape to the wonders of the city.

* * *

_The sun was aglow in full valor and the warm summer breeze drifted past her as she ran wild through Central Park, her braids fluttering behind her. The feeling of being surrounded by nature made her feel more at ease and relaxed than the concrete jungle ever could. __This was her favourite place to go to blow off steam and explore. Every once in a while she'd slip out of the safety of The Order and come here. _The smell of soil and vegetation reminded her of a place she'd never been but desperately missed, like a lost memory that was nagging on her conscience. She never thought much of these feelings, believing it to be a normal response when one lived in such an industrialized setting.

_When the delicious burning in her lungs finally became too much, she slowed to a stop, greedily gulping air to catch her breath. Running made her feel so alive, and it was common knowledge that she never stayed still for long. It had been a while since she'd been able to really stretch her legs, with the sisters of The Order keeping such a sharp eye on her. She knew they wished she was more like Joshua, and be content to stay inside and pour over books. Rosette knew her brother loved running through the forests just as much as she did, but he hated breaking the rules of the people who took them in. Even today he wouldn't go with her on her adventure. It wasn't her fault that she didn't fit in there, and she certainly couldn't _make_ herself feel guilty for deliberately being disobedient.__Sometimes she wished that The Order had never adopted them. At least they'd still be together, and she'd have her partner in crime. Instead, here they were... slowly drifting apart. He never wanted to go exploring anymore, and was always with Father Remington. Her loneliness had been eating away at her for some time, until today when she absolutely had to get away from it all. _

_'And escape from another boring bible study...'_

_She stubbornly shook her head to dispel the tears beginning to form. The floral dress she'd been wearing was covered with smears of dirt, and her shoes were completely covered in mud. She made a face as she analyzed the worst of the stains on the garment, noting that the sisters would be even more displeased when she returned and they saw the state of her appearance. __She was shaken from her thoughts when she heard a low growl._

_Wide cerulean eyes snapped open, and she whipped her head around to search for the source of the sound. Never before had she stumbled upon an animal here, let alone a dangerous one. Fear crept up her spine and goosebumps formed alone her arms. _

_A closer sounding snarl caused her to abruptly spin around and face her attacker. It had the body of a bear, but instead of fur, was covered in leathery scales and spikes protruding from its back and tail. Its long claws were imbedded within the bark of the tree it was perched on, and its predatory eyes never wandered off her as it opened its crocodilian-like mouth to show four rows of large, sharp teeth designed for shredding flesh. _

_Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she slowly took a step backwards, the action making the beast before her visibly more agitated. It let out a ferocious roar that encouraged her to turn and ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction. _

_She didn't know when she started screaming, but she knew one thing for certain... that she didn't dare glance backwards at the quickly gaining pursuer._

'_I'm going to die! I'm going to die all because I couldn't sit through another stupid bible study!' The words kept repeating in her head. 'I'm going to die!'_

_Her foot caught on a protruding root and she went crashing to the ground, her attacker at that moment making a lunge for her and narrowly flying over where she had landed._

_In a moment of fear and adrenaline, she blinding reached out and grabbed a sturdy branch from the forest floor and scrambled to her feet._

_The monster was soon upon her again, this time slowing pacing around her in a circle, hissing and snarling at her as she swiped her weapon in front of her to create some distance._

"_Stay back!" she shouted, her voice shaky and uneven. _

_The unfazed beast lunged at her once more, this time when she swung out, she hit her target and it went tumbling to the forest floor._

_"You want a piece of me!?" She yelled. _

_Her enemy's response was another deep growl as it regained its bearing. Again it took a run at her, this time it locked its powerful jaws around her weapon and to her horror, shattered her branch and knocked her off her feet. She couldn't help the scream that tore out of her throat, as she scrambled backwards. The beast charged her once more and she threw her arms over her head as a desperate last resort while simultaneously crawling into a ball._

_She waited... but nothing happened._

_She hesitantly cracked open her eyes to see that the monster appeared turned to stone. S__till staring helplessly into the statue of the jaws of her assailant, she heard a voice break her out of her shock._

"_Are you alright?"_

_The hulking beast above her was suddenly pushed over, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. She dragged in a ragged breath and raised a hand to her chest to try to ease her racing heart._

_Worn down sneakers appeared in her line of sight, then she felt hands gently grasped her arms and lifted her to her feet. Her eyes followed the dark pants upwards to the grey t-shirt, and landed on his face. He looked to be around her age, with golden tan skin and long dark __hair that she was certain gleamed purple where the light hit it. The navy headband across his forehead almost went unnoticed as it blended in with long strands that fell around his face._

_'Did he do that?' She wondered, 'Did he turn it to a statue? But he's just a kid...'_

_His red eyes stared into her own imploringly, their catlike shape being something she'd never seen before. _

_"Are you alright?" he repeated once more, his hands still clutching her arms and helping her stand. _

_'His voice... it's so gentle and soft...' Trapped in her study of the boy before her, all she could manage was to dumbly nod her head while staring into his strange eyes._

_"T-thank you..." The words clumsily tumbled out of her mouth. She finally broke their eye contact and cleared her throat._

_He released her arms nodding slowly and took a step back from her._

_Her voice regained its usual confidence when she continued, "I don't know what that thing was... or what you did to it, but thank you..." _

_She peered up at him in awe with her big blue eyes to see the slight smile he gave her in return._

_The two stood there for a couple of silent moments more, neither moving or speaking, until he turned and began to walk away from her._

_"Wait!" she cried, and hastily chased after him. Planting herself directly in front of him she stuck out her hand and announced "I'm Rosette... Rosette Christopher! Who are you?"_

_The strange boy looked slightly taken aback by her outstretched hand, more so out of surprise she figured, before he hesitantly reached out and took it. "My name is Chrono..." _

_The awe in her eyes travelled to her voice as she asked, "how did you do that thing before? You know, freezing the monster?"_

_He looked deep into her eyes, as if deciding what exactly to tell her before he straightened his spine and replied, "I'm what you humans call a demon... and that," he lifted a thumb over his shoulder, indicating to the indisposed beast, "is one too."_

_She cocked her head to the side, "a demon?" She repeated._

_His node of affirmation led her to continue, although she could tell he looked like he was waiting for her to run away screaming "lunatic"._

_"The covenant tells us that demons are evil..." His brows raised in shock as she mentioned of the covenant. "Now I can totally see that other _thing _being a demon... but _you_?" She paused and gave him another once over, "you're not evil, are you?"_

_With that, his face took on an almost dumbfounded looked. He slowly shook his head from side to side, powerless to stop staring at the __peculiar girl covered in mud in front of him._

_"Well Chrono the demon... not many people can say they've rescued me, but for saving my life I think we should be friends!" The smile that gave him was so honest and heartfelt that he felt his own mouth mirror hers without even thinking about it._

_"Alright, Rosette Christopher..." He smiled, testing her name out on his lips for the first time._

* * *

A passerby scurry past roughly collided with her shoulder before they kept rushing past, startling Rosette back to the present and causing her to stumble.

"Hey! Watch it buddy!" She angrily called after the man, fist shaking in the air.

"Hmph. Jerk." She mumbled as she reluctantly pulled out a scan card from her coat pocket.

With a flick of her wrist she slid her pass card over the reader, foot tapping impatiently as the iron gates slowly began to open.

She marched through the halls with confidence and purpose, nuns hastily scampering out of her way.

"That's Rosette, she used to be a sister here..."

"What do you mean, used to be? Did she just up and quit?"

"I heard that she was kicked out..."

"No, no, no! She caused too much damage out in the field and got arrested!"

The whispers and rumours surrounding her name annoyed her to no end, but she kept her head by thinking of what Chrono would tell her in such a situation and marched on to her destination.

_'Deep breaths Rosette. Deep, deep breaths... Count to ten if you have to...'_

"Isn't she the apostle, Joshua's, sister?"

_'1... 2...'_

"I wonder how many demons she killed to become such a legend around here..."

_'3...'_

"Someone told me that she's reason for Sister Kate's nervous breakdown last year..."

_'4... 5...'_

"I heard she got kicked out for getting caught fooling around... with a _devil_..."

Gasps erupted from all the nuns, "Anna!" and once more their chirping continued.

_'Fuck this.'_

The click of the safety from her gun instantly silenced the group as they realized with horror that her hearing was better than they gave her credit for... and now they were all staring down the barrel of her gun

"I'm sorry..." She began, clenching her teeth in restrained anger, "Sister _Anna_, was it? I didn't quite catch that... mind telling the story again?"

The redhead of the group cast her eyes downwards and audibly gulped as she felt the armed woman's furious gaze rest upon her. She knew the rumour to be untrue, but in the heat of moment she couldn't stop the words from escaping her mouth.

"I-I-I..." She trembled, feeling her vibrantly coloured bangs dampen from the sweat beginning to form on her brow.

"You-you-you..." The older girl cruelly mimicked, "...should learn to keep your god dammed mouth shut in matters that don't concern you. Jesus, aren't nuns supposed to be righteous people?"

The group of girls all positively quivered in place, knowing they were indeed out of line. Rosette took a step closer to Sister Anna and leaned in as she spoke low voice, carrying a promise of pain, "If I ever hear you breath a bad word about my partner again... I will _end you_." She leaned back hard into the girl's terrified twin pools of green, "are we clear?"

The girl nodded her head so eagerly, Rosette thought her habit might fall off. "Good."

With lightening fast reflexes, she re-holstered her gun and continued walking down the corridor, "you sisters have a nice day!" She icily called over her shoulder, taking immediate pleasure in how quickly they scattered and ran.

_'Sorry Chrono... I tried.' _She thought as she mentally apologized to her absent companion.

She soon arrived upon large oak doors, and without pause, grasped a golden handle and swiftly entered.

The sizeable room was flooded with light. Its windows skimmed the high ceiling before meeting the smooth, glassy wooden floor, framed by thick velvety mauve drapes that were now tied back to welcome in the sunlight. Tapestries hung from the walls, as well as regal portraits of past directors and popes alike, and elaborate oil paintings of biblical scenes. A beautiful, carved statue of the Virgin Mary stood to the side of richly crafted large desk. The trolley covered in fine china and uneaten biscuits standing untouched by the sitting area told her that she'd come just in time to postpone tea time.

"Thank you for coming in on such short notice... and complying with our _request_. Terrorizing a few third class militia hardly seems a high price to pay for _your_ cooperation." Hands clasped behind her back, the occupant stood in front of the massive windows, turning her head to peer at the incomer over her shoulder.

"Don't thank me. I almost dragged him with me just to make a point." Rosette scoffed back, defiantly crossing her arms over her chest.

A fine brow raised in response.

The figure at the window turned to fully face the blonde and gestured to the couches. "Please, take a seat."

Her voice still carried the same stern tone that Rosette had gotten used to arguing with over the years. Much about the woman before her remained the same since the day she first met her. The same unwavering hazel eyes, the same elegantly styled short chocolate hair, the same style overall. Her black high collared blouse ruffled around the neck and was adorned over the shoulders and chest by an overlay of black lace. The black skirt fell just below her knees before slightly flaring out in a relaxed ruffle, revealing black stockings and sleek black stilettos. A string of pearls graced the junction where sleeve met wrist, and a stunning silver cross pendent hung low from her neck. Conservative, but fashionable.

As she sat down upon the formal pink sofa, Rosette couldn't help but reach over to the trolley next to her and snag a cookie. It wasn't an Oreo, but it'd just _have_ to do.

The click of heels alerted her to the older woman's approach, and the brunette gracefully sat on the matching couch facing her with a delicate teacup in hand. "As you know, Rosette, we here at The Order have been very obliging to your wish to work as an open contractor for other agencies... especially since it was _we_ who gave you most of your battle repertoire, of course not anticipating on you leaving us so soon after," Rosette noticed her eyes harden before she quickly took a sip of her tea and pressed on, "but it has come to our attention that your expanding _business _is, potentially, a liability to us... and I can't take that risk."

"Liability. Really." The smaller girl shook her head in disbelief.

"Very much so, and I'd appreciate it if you'd start treating this seriously." The tension was slowly rising in the room.

"_Madame Director_," Rosette mock exasperated, "are you suggesting that you can't trust me to not sell out secrets?"

"...It's not you I'm concerned about." Her grip on the dainty cup tightened noticeably. "We both know that you'd never do anything to harm Joshua, and he has all but created his own sanctuary here. A home."

"Your point?" She asked with glaring blue eyes.

"Chrono can't be trusted."

_'And it always leads back to this...'_ Rosette mused.

"Here we go..." The blonde rolled her eyes, "so he's a demon. Big deal. I don't see you staying home to raise babies... Oops! Wow, would you look at that? I guess stereotypes really _can_ be broken!"

Setting down her teacup in favour of pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration, she ground out, "This is not a simple behavioural flaw, Rosette. It's in his _nature_! He-"

"-You don't know him!" She hollered over the other woman, quickly jumping to her feet. "You don't know a damn thing about _who he is_ and until you do, you have no right to judge him!"

The two glared at each other in silence, before hazel eyes closed in defeat.

"Why am I here? What do you want from me?"

"I want you to cut ties with that... _devil_... and come back to the convent. You could see Joshua when ever you wanted, and-"

"No, Sister Kate." Her decision on that matter was entirely decided, and she was tired from battling about it every time she set foot in this office.

"Well then..." Kate picked an imaginary piece of lint off her elegant skirt, "you can start by giving us a list of all your current, and previous clients with their files and any other additional information you've collected."

Immediately taken aback, Rosette was again on the defensive. "You must be outta your _freaking_ mind! _No way_! We're not your spy service!"

"It's the only way for The Order to track and evaluate your business dealings and ensure we aren't at risk."

"Go to hell." She yelled as she marched out of the room, slamming the door with unrestrained force.

The hallways were cleared this time as she stalked through them, slamming three more doors on her way out of the building.

* * *

Since day one, she'd always preferred her partners apartment to her own. Possibly because he was such a clean freak, where she could barely remember to do her laundry.

Still furious about her confrontation with Sister Kate, the door was unceremoniously thrown open as she swooped into the room to drop her navy jacket to the ground before flopping down on his worn, soft couch.

"Judging from the look on your face, I can already tell how it went... what was it she wanted?"

Rosette dangled her head off the end of the armrest, long golden strands spilling to the ground as she looked up at him.

His tall, lean frame casually leaned against the archway that she knew led to the kitchen, arms crossed loosely in front of his chest as he peered down at her with a sympathetic smile and soft eyes. Although essentially ageless, he looked around mid-twenties. His shoulder length hair gave him an air of youth, still wearing the same blue headband as always, but the silted red eyes gave him away as supernatural. Judging by the dark grey t-shirt and casual jeans, that "important meeting" he claimed to have that was a bad excuse to not have to go with her to the church. For some strange reason, devils were very particular about proper formal attire when it came to their politics and meetings. That lazy bum probably never even left the cozy Brooklyn apartment once all day!

_'Liar.'_

"Oh, the usual... just trying to forcibly convert me. Again!" She threw her arms in the arm in frustration.

He furrowed his brows in confusion, "Really? That's it?"

"Oh! Oh! Get this..." Rosette shot up into a normal sitting pose, "she wants all of our files and names of all out clients. Past _and_ present!"

"Did she mention why?" He gently pressed, fully aware of how riled up she was.

"Because, Chrono... we're a _liability _don't cha know?" Using air quotes to illustrate her feelings on the matter.

Practically feeling the steam coming out of her, he retrieved the snack he'd just finished preparing when she came barreling into the place.

She was rambling about the unfairness and nerve The Order had, but he couldn't make out a word she was saying as he opened the microwave to tear open the bag of popcorn and empty it into a large bowl. Most of the time Rosette didn't actually need anyone to listen, and he'd learned long ago what to do during her frequent fuming sessions.

She never stopped talking as he approached her with the food. He set it in her flailing hands so smoothly that she didn't notice its presence as he took a seat next to her on the couch.

"Can you believe them? Of all the nerve!"

He quietly regarded her with a small smile and nodded in agreement.

"I mean, come on! Do they really-" She quickly paused to cram a fistful of the salty snack into her mouth.

"Do they really think that the entire world revolves around The Order? Like-" Another pause to stuff more popcorn in.

"They're so pretentious and-" Another popcorn break.

"Hypocritical-" And another.

Soon she was too preoccupied filling her belly, to keep fuming aloud all together.

The dark-haired man watched with a wide grin that had broken out across his face, terribly amused by her predictable behaviour.

When her fingers only met the bottom of an empty bowl she gave a pout, then suddenly turned serious.

"...I don't know how it never bothers you. All the hate they send your way..." Her voice trailed off.

"Well... I am a demon. A devil, even. That's frightening to people, and I can understand that. It wasn't too long ago when I really _was_ everything they think of me now..."

"Don't even! I won't have you wallowing about in self-loathing, even if I have to pound the sense back into your thick skull myself!" She angrily poked him in the chest to emphasize her point. "Nobody's perfect, and you're busting your ass to make amends now. In my books that makes you really fucking _noble, _so I'm sure as _hell_ not gonna let anyone drag you down. Kapeesh?"

"...Kapeesh."

He smiled down at her and ruffled her hair, sparking an immediate wrestling match between the two. His height and longer reach were to his advantage, but she'd always been extra feisty. Amidst the tangling of limbs, laughs, and shrieks, a high-pitched ringtone rang out, effectively ending their play.

She dove over the sofa to dig her phone out of her coat pocket.

Propped up on one elbow, the young man watched her comically pop up again, phone pressed to the side of her face.

"...Uh huh...Uh huh...right. Harbor. Got cha." She lowered the phone and picked up her coat from the ground. "Well, time to suit up cause it looks like we've got a job."


	2. Chapter 2

**New York Upper Bay**

The sky was a canvas of purples, pinks and oranges as the sun set; it's glow coated the land in a soft golden blanket that went unnoticed by the people below, all shouting orders and swarming around the chaos. A cloud of black smoke rose from the center of the disaster, tarnishing the beauty of the sinking sun.

"Where the hell's Murphy? I want to know where this ship came from, _yesterday!_"

" —Right here, sir!" A young man broke away from the crowd, running to answer the call of his superior. He clumsily dodged a couple firefighters hastily pulling a giant hose to the front lines.

"Well? Is it one of ours?" The weathered middle-aged man impatiently demanded, shouting over the noise of everything happening around them.

"The papers say it's from England, and that it's transporting toxic waste—" He began, dutifully regurgitating the information he'd gathered thus far whilst trying to catch his breathe.

The Chief swore aloud and agitatedly ran a hand through his receding hairline.

"—Johnson! Get me a cleanup crew ready— and for the love of god, why havn't we evacuated any survivors? Someone get me the fire chief!" The captain's voice was hoarse from yelling for the past hour, his face red from the pressure and stress of the disaster in front of him.

"Yes, sir!" The officer obediently responded before hurrying off, his navy uniform disappearing almost instantaneously amidst the throng of people.

"Murphy! Go get a statement from the witnesses and the harbourmaster. See if you can find out why the hell a cargo ship this big crashed, and _where_ are all the passengers! I havn't seen a single person on that ship, and we've got no clue what the status is onboard. Find Out!"

"But, sir, the harbourmaster isn't here…" The lieutenant nervously replied.

The chief turned back to him with fury dancing in his eyes.

"Then _go get him! I don't care if you have to drag him from his bed _— _just bring him here, now!_" He towered over the young officer, close enough that the young man could count the greys in his moustache.

"Yes, sir!" He meekly responded and dashed away to his cruiser, eager to escape the gruff chief's wrath.

Returning his attention to the scene in front of him, the hardened man gave his jaw a rough rub as he scanned the area. The cargo ship loomed above, wedged into the crevice it created for itself when it ploughed into the dock. The fire onboard had rapidly spread to the side of the ship and the firefighters were struggling to keep it contained, and off the dock they stood on, below.

"—Hurry and bring that hose around!"

"—Don't let the oil catch fire!"

He watched in dismay as the thick black smoke emitting grew in size; all in proximity heard the explosion and fire rained down from the sky.

"—Take cover!" He hollered as he turned his back and threw his arms up to shield his head.

Flames began to eat away at the deck, and everyone was quickly pulling back to reorganize, himself included. He got only a few steps away before he heard the shouts.

"Wait! Wait! There's somebody on board!"

He froze in his tracks and whipped around to try and scan the deck of the ship. The smoke was thick and opaque, but a strong gust of wind blew it momentarily away enough for him to catch the outline of a figure, stumbling to the rail surrounding the edge of the boat.

" —There's a survivor! Somebody help him!"

With renewed vigor, the firefighters charged back into the fray, battling back the flames that threatened to consume them whole.

The lone man on the ship soon came back into view again, and the chief could see him heavily leaning on the railing, coated in blood.

"—Get the paramedics ready!" He shouted over his shoulder before moving closer towards the ship.

"Hold on, sir! Help is on the way, just hold on!" Voices called out to the survivor.

"Please…" The man yelled out in desperation. "H-help me…!"

His fear was evident, and as he weakly reached out an arm, a bright light flashed from behind him, forcing all who stood witness to cover their eyes.

The chief painfully cracked his eyes open and forced himself to look through the blinding light only to see a large claw suddenly descended upon the man, cutting off his screams with a crunch. Blood splattered everywhere, and the body was crushed into a lifeless heap.

Terror filled him as he stumbled back a few steps, a cold sweat suddenly breaking out all over his body. He'd been a cop for nearly 15 years and he thought he'd seen it all, but the dread rapidly filling him was entirely new.

It was hard to make out the shape of the beast onboard through the smoke, but it quickly became visible when it rushed to the edge of the boat, powerful talons sinking easily into the steel as it clung to the side of the ship.

"M… M… M…" He quivered uncontrollably at the sight of the creature.

The golden tribal mask upon its face was covered in blood, dripping down the large, sharp teeth and long, pointed tusks. The wind ruffled the thick, coarse main that trailed behind it, it's eyes shadowed behind the mask, empty.

Every paramedic, firefighter, police officer, and news anchor, was silenced; all were frozen in disbelief and horror. When it's lengthy tongue dropped out of its mouth and it bellowed out an earth-shattering roar, they were shaken out of their stupor, and the screams began.

"—Monster!" The chief finally managed to pass the word between his lips, turning and running away as fast as he could.

The beast let out another howl, before launching itself towards the crowd. The wood cracked where he landed, and after another powerful jump, broke completely under it's massive weight.

The twinge of bullets drew its attention downwards to the tiny human he'd landed in front of, reveling in it's scent of fear.

The chief was running on pure adrenaline, unloading the gun without restraint. The monster was even more fearsome up close, it's pungent odor repulsive. It quickly became apparent that bullets did nothing but aggravate the beast, but he continued to fire, in a last desperate plight. He'd seen the way it crushed the man on the ship, and hell, at full height he only stood as tall as its elbow when it was hunched over like a gorilla.

The bloodstained claw rose above his head, just as a tiny _'clink'_ sound echoed. He spied the grenade for half a second, when suddenly he was encased in arms and pulled away at a breakneck speed. He heard the detonation in the background, and the beast's subsequent roar of pain.

Before he could blink he was deposited back on his feet, yards away from where he's been standing not seconds ago.

He stared at his savior with just as much disbelief as he had done with the monster. He was a tall man, with a long black pea coat over a red zip-up sweater, and dark jeans. The unusual thing about him was the pair of large wings sprouting from his back. Upon closer inspection, there were many anomalies; the claws on his hands, with looked like horns sprouting from his head, and some kind of barbed tail originating from under his dark hair.

Sensing the man's eyes on him, his savior briefly turned back to regard the trembling man with a single order.

"Run."

A glance at the strange markings on the strangers face and the predatorily golden eyes was enough to kick the trembling man into gear as he hightailed it out of there.

* * *

After making sure the man was heading for safety, Chrono returned his attention to his steadily approaching partner.

"All the civilians out of the way?"

He gave her a swift nod.

"Alright… Bastard ducked back into the ship. Mama needs a new pair of shoes, so let's go catch us a bounty!" She grinned while tucking the handgun back into its holster, to join the many firearms resting on her hips.

The gun she'd just finished tucking away had looked especially oversized in her petite hand to him, and Chrono couldn't help but smile at her appearance. Her long blonde hair hanging down her back and navy Burberry trench coat made her look like she should be chasing down a party like every other New York socialite… without the presence of the guns and ammunition, of course.

He hooked his arms under her, and with little effort lifted her to cradle her against his chest. He fondly remembered how she used to fit in just one of his arms, and how she'd clutched him and squeal in delight as they flew together. Now she'd grown into a tall, slender woman, and he could still easily carry her with one hand... but somehow he knew she wouldn't condone the balancing act.

"His energy didn't felt corporeal... it's probably why normal bullets didn't work on him before." He pondered out loud. "I don't know how much help I'll be in there if I can't touch him..."

"Of course." She rolled her eyes over-dramatically. "I've got to do _everything_ myself..."

She coyly grinned up at him. "...It's only fair then, that I take a bigger cut."

It was his turn to roll his eyes at her antics. "Rosette, you say that like you don't already."

"Then it's settled!" Her smug grin stayed on her face even as her feet touched the floor of the ship. She immediately pulled out two semi-automatic pistols in each hand and held them out at the ready. "Can you sense him at all?"

His cat-like eyes darted around and her furrowed his brow in concentration. "He's somewhere below deck... his essence coats this entire vessel, it's hard to get a good read..."

"Flying blind… That's just _fantastic…_" She muttered to herself.

They silently crept down the metal stairs, senses alert.

Hallway after hallway, they met the same sight. Splatters of blood coated the walls, running down to pool at their feet; withered corpses lined the floor.

"I guess that explains where the crew went..." She nudged one with her foot. "They certainly look like they've seen better days."

Her partner swatted her away as her kneeled next to the body she'd disturbed and frowned.

"...Hey, what's up?" She peered over his shoulder to see what caught his attention.

"These bodies... they're completely drained..."

"So they're mummies in need of some wraps. What's the big deal?"

He sighed at her flippant behavior. "Obviously our target draws strength from both the energy and physical components of humans. The energy revitalizes his astral form, but he probably needs their cells to be able to form a corporeal body..."

"I thought you said he didn't have corporeal energy?"

"Not of his own… he seems to jump between the two forms; corporeal for attacking, astral for defending."

"Then _how_ do you suppose we kill it?"

He thought for a moment. "The alchemist bullets should work on both forms..."

She glowered at him. "_Should_ doesn't sound very comforting, Chrono!"

"A binding circle would definitely contain him—"

He was interrupted when the butt of her gun smacked onto the top of his head.

"—Idiot! Why didn't you start with that?"

"Rosette!" He whined, standing to full height, rubbing the spot where she'd beat him. Though her hit hadn't pained him in the slightest, he couldn't help the human response she evoked.

"Come on, you big baby..." She pulled him along.

The trail soon led them to a large door at the end of the hall, with a bright yellow toxic sign painted on it.

"Are you kidding me?" She stomped her foot childishly. "I don't want to grow a sixth toe! Or any other extra body parts!"

"Let's be rational here... I'm sure they have it contained _within_ the room and not just scattered about." He pointed out with a teasing smirk.

"…Shut up!" She snarled back, attempting to hide her embarrassment.

After tucking one gun away, she stepped forward to analyze the keypad; missing his playful grin grow after spying the blush on her cheeks.

The door obviously wouldn't open without the code, and since neither of them had the slightest idea what it was, she simply smashed it with her fist.

Chrono sweat dropped. "Jeeze... You're so tough..."

To her annoyance the doors remained sealed.

"Piece of crap!"

She threw her fist at it again, this time in frustration. With a crackle, and release of sparks, the green light flashed above the thick doors and they slide open.

"That's better." She haughtily spoke to the destroyed machinery.

They stepped into an enormous room and were instantly assaulted with a terrible smell.

"Ugh! What is that?" She cried as she covered her nose.

"...Death." He responded, fairing much worse than his counterpart due to his heightened senses.

And he was right.

There must have been a hundred mutilated corpses littering the floor, men, women, and children. An obvious bloodbath had taken part and no one had been spared.

"There was never any toxic waste..." Chrono mused, thrown off completely by the sight in front of him.

"Human trafficking." The blonde stated, surprised by the turn of events.

"They look like they've been down here for a while..."

"They were probably shut up in here the entire way over, like animals." She shook with rage. Her eyes quickly stole a glance back to the crew in the hall. "Those bastards certainly got what was coming to them."

"Do you think one of the—" he paused to think of the correct term, "—_passengers _had something to do with the creature?"

"It does seem the most likely, at this point —" A tingle ran down her spine, interrupting her previously thought.

Within a sliver of a second she spied the beast looming above her, and before she could command her muscles to move, it was already quickly descending.

"—Shit!" She cried as she attempted to dive away from its lethal claws, poised to tear her to ribbons.

Before she had time to relish in the close call that had been, the floor beneath her start to give out. Launching herself again to safety, she would have made it, had a long tongue not wrapped around her ankle and dragged her along with it.

"Rosette!" She faintly heard him calling out for her, as she fell further into the darkness.

"Ahhh!" Her screams bounced off the pipes and metal to surround her with her own echoes, until she roughly collided with the floor.

The blonde didn't have time to recover from her tumble, as a large blast of steam skimmed her leg.

"Fuck!" She screamed from the pain. She quickly jumped to her feet to avoid another blast; frantically realizing she lost her gun in the drop.

_'This must be the steam room…' _She pondered to herself, taking in the surroundings and stifling heat.

Rosette felt the metal grating she stood upon shake and quickly pulled out the other handgun she'd previously tucked away. She had many guns on her, but only possessed two that had been inscripted with ancient spells… and now she was only down to one.

She raised her weapon and with lethal aim, shot the fast approaching monster in the arm twice and once on the opposite shoulder.

It howled in pain, but didn't slow its rampage towards her, and all she could to protect herself was dodge the swinging fists and sharp claws.

_'This is going no where… I'm losing my stamina, and it's only getting angrier… Where the hell are you, Chrono?'_

She skidded to the side to avoid another blow, but as she suspected, her speed was slower than she needed and was caught by the large fist.

He slammed her back into the wall with enough force to leave her seeing stars and it brought its masked face close to her own.

She stared, dazed, into the large black holes of nothingness of its eyesockets and was plunged into its mind.

The creature couldn't communicate with words, even in its mind, but it could transmit its emotions to her and force her to feel what it wanted her to.

An ancient temple… India, or Nepal...

A golden statue on a high pedestal, surrounded by flowers and offerings… A boy sneaking through the dark into the chamber… His trembling hands stuffing the statue into a worn sac… The same boy climbing aboard the ship in the dead of the night with his family and the rest of the illegal passengers…

She felt it all… their fear, starvation, desperation. The sound of her own heartbeat filled her ears as the images continued to flash past her.

The young boy clutching a ragged piece of metal from the wall, slicing his palm with it and forcing the blood to run over the statue… His prayers for help from the gods… The statue taking form…

Her mind was abruptly torn out of the monster's grasp.

She gasped and greedily took in air as her conscious returned to her body. She found herself lying on ground, golden hair spilled all around her, surrounded by a glowing purple energy field.

"Back off! She is _mine._ I won't let you eat her." The demon growled, suddenly materializing in front of her, his makeshift barrier fizzling out.

He briefly glanced back at her, "Rosette, are you alri—"

She sent a heavy elbow into his ribs and the air was forced out of his lungs.

"_Where in God's name have you been?_" She roared at him, fury blazing in her clear blue eyes.

"S-sorry…" He nervously chuckled, raising his hands to try and placate his hostile partner. "I was setting up the binding circle… It's all ready, we just need to lead him back to it."

She narrowed her eyes but seemed to accept the excuse.

The pair scattered in opposite directions as the monster's claws dove at them, interrupting their petty argument.

"Fine. Where'd you draw it?" She shouted over to her distanced counterpart who was busy evading the beast's onslaught of attacks.

"Up on the top deck…" Chrono ducked, narrowly avoiding a hit that would have rendered his face concave. "It's stronger under direct moonlight."

Rosette picked up her gun from where it had been unintentionally discarded and took aim. The first shot hit inside where the beat's eye would have been, and midway through its enraged cry, the second blasted through his tongue.

The distraction was just enough to give Chrono the breathing room he needed to dash to her side, before grabbing her arm and pulling her with him to make a break for it.

The slam of metal denting drifted to their ears as the monster took immediate pursuit of the pair.

"Think he's pissed?" She sarcastically quipped to the dark haired man sprinting at her side, breaking deeply.

It felt like an earthquake as the floor beneath them shook with the force of the monster's strides.

"Oh, I'm sure he's just _peachy!_" He remarked with equal sarcasm.

When they reached the staircase, Rosette turned to the demon. "Go, go!" She ushered him up the stairs.

He gave her a quizzical look before complying with her order. If she had a plan, now was not the time for him to question it.

The beast was barreling towards them, murderous intent heavy. She knew they'd never make it up the staircase before it reached them.

The blonde reached down and plucked the tiny grenade off the weapons belt resting on her slim hips, before impatiently yanking the pin out with her teeth and hurling the object.

She didn't wait to see the aftermath, and booked it up the stairs as fast as her long legs could take her.

"He's coming…!" She shouted as soon as she emerged out into the night air, daring not to slow down or glance behind.

The shriek of steel being torn apart told her it was closer than she would have liked. Rosette made a beeline straight for her partner, who was standing on the other side of a large chalk circle, riddled with signs and symbols she'd never understand, all placed with the utmost precision.

_'Just a little more… Just a little bit more…'_

She practically dove behind Chrono, exhausted legs giving out, just as their target took the fateful step over the threshold, awakening the spell.

She peered out from behind his legs to watch the lightshow. Blues and greens rained down from the night sky like a waterfall, encircling the monster. It snarled and threw its fists into the delicate looking wall surrounding it, only to receive a powerful shock that brought it to its knees.

Soon the diameter of the circle began to shrink, until it was a single beam aiming directly downwards onto its captive. A bright flash of white light was released and when it's luminescence dimmed, the bounty hunters were left staring at a small golden statue.

With a heavy sigh, Rosette flopped onto her back.

"My everything hurts…" She moaned.

Her partner approached the idol, subtly shifting to his human form. The statue was small enough to fit in one of his large palms as he analyzed it up close. Its astral energy appeared to be sealed, and he couldn't detect any energy radiating. Turning to his half-asleep partner, he kneeled at her side and gently poked her.

"Rosette? Hey, Rosette? We have to make a stop off at Clark's before we go home, to see what to do about the idol…"

"But I just want my _bed_…" She whined, rubbing her tired eyes. "_Ugh_."

She took his outstretched hand and he pulled her to her feet.

"Common, sleepyhead."

He took, her into his arms and made the inhuman jump from on deck, back to the destroyed dock.

After being put on her own two feet again, she dragged herself along. Fatigue practically radiated off her.

"We'll get you a coffee on the way."

"Starbucks?" She hopefully quipped.

"Has anyone ever told you how high maintenance you are?"

"Shut up!"


End file.
